Somewhat Wokless, Entirely Delicious

Dearest gentle reader,

OK, maybe a little too much Bridgerton this last week. I was down for the count last week end, so this week will be a little more full than most. Interestingly, several of the recipes this week didn’t really require using a wok. I’ll start there.

Shirataki noodles are amazing. Great texture, they absorb the flavor of whatever you use them for, and they are all fiber, meaning no carbs and no calories. Of course we have to ruin that by saucing it up with spicy chili oil, sesame paste, and some sugar. Regardless, these were absolutely delicious and I could honestly eat it just about every day. Spicy Shirataki and Cucumber Salad (pg 335) is definitely one of those dishes that is going in the rotation. I didn’t buy cucumbers as I already had some, but unfortunately they went bad before I could use them. This was one of those moments where I am starting to see my experience kicking in and I can “feel” the dish. I had some leftover Takuan, Japanese picked radish, from the previous week’s sushi night. It worked perfectly fine as a substitute. This dish comes together in less than 15 minutes.

Cheese Congee with Bacon, Charred Corn, Scallions, and Cilantro (pg 258) is another dish that I forewent the wok in favor of using my pressure cooker. I love congee and I personally believe the pressure cooker is the easiest method for making a great one. This had bacon, cheese, and charred corn. This made a super good breakfast. I doubled the recipe so I could have breakfast all week, but it was too much food and I sadly had to toss a good third of it. Best served with a fried egg on top, making this feel similar to grits or savory oats.

The last dish that I made without the wok was the Sesame Chicken Noodles My Way (pg 338). I’m a sucker for noodles and especially ones that remind me of dan dan noodles. The combination of peanut butter, sesame, soy sauce, and a little kick makes one of the most comforting flavors. The only part of this that really called for using the wok was poaching the chicken, but I used the pressure cooker to cook a whole chicken. This gave me extra chicken to use for salads and other things throughout the week. This came together faster than dan dan noodles, so I highly recommend giving it a try. I went with bucatini noodles, which were a little thick, but totally worked. The recipe calls for spaghetti or fettuccine noodles.

Since I’m cooking my way through Kenji’s book, I decided to treat myself and buy his new work. It’s made in conjunction with Our Place and probably cost too much for what it is, but what it is is excellent. I’ll have a deeper review when I’ve had time to make a few more dishes in it. I decided to be bold and make the first dish I cooked in it eggs. The double-nitride finish makes it non-stick without using toxic coatings, so this was the ultimate test. I did get some VERY light sticking as I cooked, but it washed right out with some running water. Nothing was actually stuck.

This was my first time making Home-Styled Tomato and Scrambled Eggs (pg 165). I have to admit that I don’t find it visually appealing. Any time you scramble eggs with a liquid, they get this chunky look that just doesn’t do it for me. That being said, it was really delicious and made for a perfect post-gym breakfast, served over leftover rice.

Red Curry with Mushrooms, Pumpkin, and Tofu (pg 587) was my attempt at giving a little variety to a week so heavy with noodles and meats. I’m a sucker for a good curry, especially Thai versions. There is a beautiful balance of spicy, sweet, salty, and sour that is rare in most cuisines. Because this one has you start by cooking down coconut cream (from the top of the coconut milk can) and curry paste, I decided to use my old wok. I was worried about it all sticking. I actually made this before I made the eggs, otherwise I wouldn’t have worried about it in the least. This recipe also let me use up the other half of the kabocha squash from last week. Learning that you don’t have to peel kabocha squash has been an absolute game changer for me. This dish comes together in no time and is satisfying in the way that only a great soup or stew can be.

Finally we finished off the week with two heavier meat dishes.

Red Braised Pork Belly (pg 607) is maybe one of the most insanely delicious things you can make with such few ingredients. It goes to show that you don’t need a lot to make a great dish if you start with something great and give it lots of time to develop. Braising is probably one of the most underrated techniques in modern cooking. No one wants to take the time, but it’s oh so worth it.

Ginger Beef (pg 120). Another incredibly easy, but delicious dish. The only thing I would change next time is to focus on cutting the beef a bit thinner to keep it from being chewy. This was 100% my mistake. The snap peas and herbs add a ton to this dish.

Considering that I was down for almost half a week, I didn’t get to spend as much time with the new wok as I would like, so hopefully I can make up for it this week. I’ll try to include a review in next week’s newsletter.

Yours truly, <- I had to get in one more Bridgerton reference.

Mark